


Rome's In Ruins

by orphan_account



Series: Stuck Inside in 2020 Works of Boredom [8]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Family, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Pre-Season/Series 08, Season/Series 07, messages
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 09:08:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23968879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Sam didn't only have messages for his family, Hunk's family, and Lance's family. Shiro and Keith had one too, recorded a while back. This is that message.
Relationships: Adam & Keith (Voltron), Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron)
Series: Stuck Inside in 2020 Works of Boredom [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1684453
Comments: 6
Kudos: 93





	Rome's In Ruins

"Adam?"

Adam froze at the voice, his eyes widening. Part of him had been begging to just go, look for the man who stood before him, ask him, but he had never summoned the courage to do it. It was ironic. He'd test-fly dangerous, high-speed aircraft's without batting an eye, but going to a man who'd been kidnapped and come back, to ask about his former fiancé was enough to make him freeze.

"Sir." Adam found himself saying. Sam Holt smiled.

"None of that right now. This is a more personal visit."

Adam swallowed, and opened the door to his - Shiro's former - apartment, letting the older man enter. "Personal visit?"

Sam nodded, and held out a small device. Adam hesitated, fingers hovering over it, then wrapped his grip around it. His fingertips, sweaty and sticky brushed Sam's palm, cool and relaxed. The device was small, semi-rectangular, and rounded on the topside, a glowing blue-white light in the centre. "What is this, sir?"

"Shiro asked me to give that to you." Sam replied, tone just as calm as before, unwavering, unhesitating. Far braver than Adam. "It's a message. I don't know what happened between you two, but he and Keith pre-recorded that, even before I came along again. They were hoping it would get to you. You can watch it if you want, but take it from someone who thought he'd never see his family again. Do it. You never know what might happen."

Adam's hand fell to his side, grip tightening. The edge of the device pressed against his skin, rounded edges poking at him. "Is that all, sir?"

"Yes."

* * *

Adam stared at the device. Did he watch it? Did he leave it?

He'd broken up with Takasi, and almost immediately regretted it. Because Takashi was one of the best things in the world, the best thing in the world, that had ever happened to Adam. He'd been amazing. And Adam had thrown it all away because he was scared. He'd known Takashi wouldn't back down. That he'd go to the stars, with or without Adam's approval, because that's part of what made Adam fall in love with him.

The break-up had been a last-ditch effort to get Takashi to stay on Earth. And it had failed. In so many ways. Takashi left Earth thinking that Adam didn't care about him anymore. Was abducted by aliens, thinking Adam was moving on. Had probably been through hell, and didn't even have the reassurance that Adam would be there when he got back, because Adam had told him that he wouldn't be there when he got back.

Adam chewed at his lip, fingers twisting up the loose sweatpants he'd changed into, his glasses set on the coffee table.

He reached forwards, fingers trembling. It shouldn't be so hard. Shouldn't be so hard, just to press a button, but it was. So hard.

Adam's hand fell back to his side, and he choked back a sob. Then, he lunged forwards, and hit the top of the device, before he could change his mind, before he could hesitate. It was the same way he'd decided to sign up for the Garrison. He'd filled out all the application forms, and then sent them in before he could even think about second guessing himself. No regrets.

The device lit up blue, a screen filling the air, and Adam's breath caught in his throat. Takashi, wearing clothing that he remembered from Keith's rickety old shack in the middle of nowhere, his hair grey and white, but the same style as always, a scar across, his nose, was there. Sitting on some kind of bed, Keith leaning his back against Takashi's shoulder, knees pulled up, like they were at the apartment again, and Adam was cooking and Keith was reading his book while Shiro just listened to him.

"Hey Adam." Takashi said, lifting his free hand, and Adam nearly gagged, seeing the metal that had replaced the arm. Part of him was glad. That arm had been sick, and the plan had been to amputate. If Takashi hadn't been so insistent on piloting, it probably would have already been taken off. But there simply was no prosthetic advanced enough to replace an arm. At least not on Earth. "If you're seeing this, it could mean a few things.

"It could mean I'm dead, and Keith is giving this to you."

Keith scoffed quietly. He had his knife in his hands, staring at the hilt in a sort of morbid fascination. Takashi just smiled.

"Or maybe we're both dead. Or maybe we've managed to send this to Earth. In any case, it means that I'm not on Earth, with you. And... I'm sorry, if that's the case."

Takashi swallowed, eyes falling down, and he took in a shuttering breath. Keith tensed, acutely aware of his adopted brother's illness, how he'd taken breaths like that on bad days, when it hurt and he was tired, but he didn't want anybody to know. Adam tensed too. "I'm sorry about the breakup. I'm sorry about Kerberos, and getting abducted and not looking for you when I got back and I'm so, so sorry for leaving you again, without even saying goodbye."

Keith leaned his head back, onto Shiro's shoulder, and his eyes closed. "A lot of stuff has happened. We're Paladins now. You'd love the Lions, I know you would. You'd think they were awesome. We found out the truth about Keith's knife. He's an alien."

Keith twisted in his place, turning his back towards Adam, hiding his face in Shiro's shoulder, not saying anything. "Alright, part alien. But that's okay. We knew he was crazy when he first told us he could see in the dark and then proved it. So, really, it's just confirmation."

Keith mumbled something, and Takashi laughed, shifting his position, forcing Keith to face Adam. The teenager was still leaning on his brother, his eyelids slightly drooped, expression mournful and confused, and Adam wanted to take everything back. The fight the two of them had, yelling and screaming over nothing, Keith getting kicked out and Adam not even trying to help.

"We're about to go do something that could be considered really stupid." Takashi continued. "If it works, maybe we'll see you again soon. If it doesn't - there's a reason we're recording this.

"I'm sorry Adam. For everything. If I could, I'd take it all back, and just stay on Earth. Maybe that's selfish, because the Lion's wouldn't be found and the Galra - that's who we're fighting - they'd be making progress. But I would, if only to make things better with you. You know. Do everything we planned to."

Keith made a grumbling noise, and Takashi laughed, putting his real arm around the teenagers shoulders. "It's been a long week, I'll say that. But... just know that I love you, I guess. And if things go wrong, if I don't come back this time..." Takashi swallowed, blinking a few times. "It's okay to move on. I'll - I'' understand. But right now..."

Takashi reached forwards, and his fingers brushed the edge of the projection, the camera's lens. Adam reached forwards, his fingers lining up with his fiancé's. His chest tightened. If only Takashi was actually there. Adam didn't know what he'd do to make that real.

"I love you. And I bet that if Keith was lucid, he'd say something about how stupidly sweet we are are how we need to stop watching romance films and reading books like that."

Keith made another grumbling noise, his eyes closing. It was so familiar. Keith wanting to study, when he was clearly exhausted. The kid could go for hours without sleep, but that had never changed the fact that he needed sleep. Adam's chest felt empty.

"So, I'm going to end this here. Before he falls asleep. I love you, I miss you, and I'll come back as soon as I can. If I can. And I'm sure Keith agrees. And when we get back, we can go racing on the hover bikes and see if you've improved any."

Takashi's smirk was so familiar. Adam let out a choking sob as the recording ended, freezing on Takashi and Keith, the kid's eyelids almost fully shut, slumping against Takashi, who just looked fond of the kid who was practically just a stray cat who'd wandered into their lives. Adam found tears running down his cheeks. He let his face fall into his palms, sobs shaking his chest, heart aching. He missed his family. He'd fucked up, so much, and it hurt. Because Kieth was his brother and Takashi was his fiancé and he'd thrown all that away on a last-ditch effort to just be selfish and it had been wrong. He should have known it wouldn't have worked.

"Love you too." he choked out. "Don't you dare die."


End file.
